I remain less than impressed with some of BMW engineering, which, in an attempt to make things "better", ends up making things ridiculously complex. Expect things to wear out & break, make them accessible, reparable. That's why AK-47s are so wildly popular, guess you didn't read the book.

I still vote for getting an indy price for R&R clutch & put that into the decision matrix. It seems the chance of getting BMW to pay for this is relatively small, so having the job done at 2/3rds the price may be a smart wager.

I remain less than impressed with some of BMW engineering, which, in an attempt to make things "better", ends up making things ridiculously complex. Expect things to wear out & break, make them accessible, reparable. That's why AK-47s are so wildly popular, guess you didn't read the book.

Someone who hands out automobile advice as if automobiles and motorcycles were one and the same is not, IMHO, a reliable source of mechanical advice.

You can ASK for a goodwill repair, but that's going to be a 50-50. Technically,a clutch IS a normal wear item, even if it's been apparently abused (which would definitely NOT be covered under any manufacturer's warranty).

Chances are, you may have to just bite the bullet, buy the Bentley manual, and invest in tools and replacement parts. You're still going to come out ahead on that arrangement vs what a dealer or service center will charge you.

Please check out my new science fiction adventure story now online at http://www.xybears.com. Your help and support with this would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I still vote for getting an indy price for R&R clutch & put that into the decision matrix. It seems the chance of getting BMW to pay for this is relatively small, so having the job done at 2/3rds the price may be a smart wager.

I see no problem with getting a 3rd party price.

But, I wouldn't do anything until I found out what the selling dealer's response might be...

Who knows? Maybe he's feeling charitable that day.

After all, none of us was involved in the sale, so none of us knows what promises (factual as well as implied) were made to the owner.

Uhhh, yah. That's assuming BMW has that as a design goal or priority, which they plainly do not. You seem to be implying wear items should be designed to be easily accessible. Every BMW vehicle has reams of technical info from the factory for dealers on how to access virtually every single item in the vehicle, some of it easily accessed both by happenstance AND design, some not. I would think part of BMW's focus as a manufacturer is not necessarily making the cars easily repairable, but easily and efficiently produced. How a repair is accomplished is left to the dealers and the service technicians. Manufacturing efficiency and profit maximization undoubtedly have to be a part of BMW's design process, which means that large components are assembled as units and go together efficiently on the production line; but, that has nothing to do with how easily accessible individual parts may be after initial assembly.

I suppose you might find the design priorities you mention in purpose-built race cars (F1?), but in a production-line manufactured vehicle where among the company's priorities are stakeholder profit maximization... ehhh... not so much!

It's been that way for ages - one could remove the entire engine and drivetrain from an E30 in a few hours and with only pulling a few bolts, but that type of disassembly is not appropriate for servicing individual components.

Everybody's feedback and knowledge (especially from some members that obviously have a lot of hands-on experience) helped me tremendously to get some perspective on this matter. I worked with my dealership through some of the issues mentioned, called a few other BMW shops to cross-reference the feedback, and at the end we negotiated a price that both parties were able to live with.

Fortunately, after they took out the transmission they deemed it to be under warranty (although they said there wasn't a mechanical problem, but it also wasn't abused either ???) and that they'll put in a new clutch kit free of charge. It also helped that my service advisor, who by now knows me for several years and has serviced several of my (manual) cars of the years, talked to the managers and filled them in on my driving history. Ultimately, it seems that the owner before me heavily wore down the clutch (although I don't know how they can determine that now).

Either way, I'm very thankful for this great community that ultimately helped guide me through this process and the dealership that heard me out and tried to work with me. This was certainly very educational and influences my decision on whether to buy new or used cars.

Fortunately, after they took out the transmission they deemed it to be under warranty ... my service advisor ... talked to the managers and filled them in on my driving history. Ultimately, it seems that the owner before me heavily wore down the clutch (although I don't know how they can determine that now).

This is speculation of course, but it sounds as though they concluded they could argue (to the warranty powers-that-be) that the parts wore abnormally for your driving habits, and cut you a break to keep a loyal customer happy, rather than make you pay for the prior owner's ineptitude. The clutch parts (especially the friction disc) would exhibit some clues to the operators' habits and how they changed over time. This, in conjunction with your SA's anecdotal testimony on your skill level, probably contributed to a decision in your favor.

If that's the case I'm glad I bought a new 335 for ED delivery. Why even take a risk on a new car in a dealer's inventory that other people test drive?

Good question; I meant to reply to this earlier. Usually a dealership doesn't take any car at random out for a test drive, they'll have a sub-fleet of representative models set aside for the purpose. If memory serves, these can still be sold as "new" cars if the accumulated mileage remains under some limit. When sold, however, each must be clearly identified as a sales demonstrator ("demo") vehicle. As a result they are often sold at a substantial discount--you can make some great deals if you can accept the risks. The rules probably vary by state; this is more or less how it is in NJ. (Personally, I would never touch one even if I didn't custom-order my cars, because they're almost never broken-in properly.)

Apart from all that, Euro Delivery beats the pants off buying anything off the lot.

I bought my car 2 yeas old (It's a 2007 335i) with 18k miles on it from the dealership (full factory warranty w/Maintenance) 1 year ago. I own the car for a year now and put 8k miles on it, which brings the total to 26k miles. Now, all of a sudden, i start to see revs go up, but there's virtually no torque left. This happened really fast over a matter of days.

I brought it to the dealership (that i generally really like and am extremely happy with and recommend to most of my friends) confident that this is covered by warranty. To my shock they tell me the clutch is a gray area (no maintenance on this according to them - can anybody verify this for me?). They say BMW covers it if it's a mechanical failure, but not wear and tear. I don't know who owned the car before me, but i've driven manuals my whole life and never ever wore out a clutch..and i never even owned a car as new as this one.You can't tell me that it's normal that a clutch is done after 26k miles, or is it?

Anyways, In order for them to find out if it's a mechanical failure they have to take the transmission out (9.5 hours of labor), and if BMW then doesn't deem it a mechanical failure i'm stuck with a $1800-3100 bill for all the labor plus the clutch (and possibly even Flywheel).

Looking for any input on this matter:

Is this the way the BMW warranty works?
Doesn't it matter that I bought the car (and most likely many more in the future unless I get too aggravated over this matter) from them just 1 year ago where they supposedly checked it thoroughly?
How long should a clutch that's driven average to spirited last in a 335i?
Do I have any options in this matter except to give them the go-ahead? That's a lot of money I am not prepared to spend right now.

I am a BMW enthusiast (maybe to an unhealthy degree), but this has me really worked up, because the car isn't even 4 years old, yet, and has only 26k miles on it.

The clutch is our '91 525i lasted 200K miles and was still good when traded. The original clutch was still in my '01 330xi when traded in at 145K.

There could be causes other than a fried clutch plate: a mechanical failure of the pressure plate spring could be what you're seeing. Or, oil leaking from a failed rear main seal. Both would arguably be covered by warranty.

You may well be able to negotiate a goodwill repair, or at least get them to cover a portion of the labor/parts.

I agree with him. I own a '05 325Ci and have since new with a 5-speed manual. The car was my first manual transmission( scary to think about that!) but at 92k+ miles my clutch is still going strong. Seems to be your best bet, as others have stated, is to negotiate a lower rate with the dealership or contact BMW NA if the dealer won't budge. It would seem you are the owner of a beaten up 335i or someone who learned to drive stick on the car.

If it makes you feel better - my dealer called me a liar after they quoted me on something to be covered under warranty and then didn't cover it. Nothing like a dealership experience to ruin your day.

Everybody's feedback and knowledge (especially from some members that obviously have a lot of hands-on experience) helped me tremendously to get some perspective on this matter. I worked with my dealership through some of the issues mentioned, called a few other BMW shops to cross-reference the feedback, and at the end we negotiated a price that both parties were able to live with.

Fortunately, after they took out the transmission they deemed it to be under warranty (although they said there wasn't a mechanical problem, but it also wasn't abused either ???) and that they'll put in a new clutch kit free of charge. It also helped that my service advisor, who by now knows me for several years and has serviced several of my (manual) cars of the years, talked to the managers and filled them in on my driving history. Ultimately, it seems that the owner before me heavily wore down the clutch (although I don't know how they can determine that now).

Either way, I'm very thankful for this great community that ultimately helped guide me through this process and the dealership that heard me out and tried to work with me. This was certainly very educational and influences my decision on whether to buy new or used cars.

THANK YOU AGAIN!
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Congrats!

Once again we see that you can get decent treatment from a dealer when you have a reasonable complaint and you treat the other guy with respect.